I've just been watching a TV programme where they talked about a new state that appeared on the map. "The Republic of South Sudan" So it got me wondering, why is it South Sudan not Southern Sudan?
Southern Sudan would be a description of the area which lies in the south of the country known as Sudan, which is now a separate country.Originally Posted by ostap77
It's the same as "South Africa" - that's the name of the country. If you said "southern Africa" (note: no capital S) then it would refer to the southern parts of the entire continent which might incorporate various countries (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa etc).
NOT A TEACHER
(1) Sometimes there is no reason.
(2) Here in the United States, we have the states of North Dakota and South Dakota,
South Carolina and North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
(3) Some people in California are joking (I think!!!) about cutting the state into
two parts: Northern California and Southern California. I do not know the reason, but
"North" California and "South" California would sound funny. Maybe one reason
(I have read somewhere) is that the southern part of California is so famous
(with cities like Los Angeles -- that includes the world-famous neighborhood of
Hollywood -- and places like Disneyland) that it is currently referred to as "Southern
California." (Notice the capital "s.") On the other hand, no one refers to the
southern area of the state of Utah as "Southern Utah." Why? Because (and this is
said with the greatest respect), southern Utah is not considered a special place with
anything that is noteworthy.
***
P.S. The continent of Africa once had two areas named Southern Rhodesia and
Northern Rhodesia. And today the United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland.
If I were the dictator of the world, I would name that new country The Southern
Sudan.
Last edited by TheParser; 10-Jul-2011 at 18:37.
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